COEP Technological University, Pune
Department of Mathematics
Matrix Algebra and Calculus
Tutorial 2
Systems of Linear Equations
(1) Find the solution set (if exists) for the following systems of linear equations by using Gauss Elimination
method.
(a) x + y + 2z = 9; 2x + 4y − 3z = 1; 3x + 6y − 5z = 0.
(b) x − y + 2z − w = −1; 2x + y − 2z − 2w = −2; − x + 2y − 4z + w = 1; 3x − 3w = −3.
(c) −x + 2y = 1.5; 2x − 4y = 3.
(d) x + 2y + 3z = 0; 2x + 3y + z = 0; 4x + 5y + 4z = 0; x + y − 2z = 0.
(e) x − 2y − 8z = 0; 3x + 2y = 0; − x + y + 7z = 0.
(f) x + y + 2z = 8; − x − 2y + 3z = 1; 3x − 7y + 4z = 10.
(g) x + y − 5z = 3; x − 2z = 1; 2x − y − z = 0.
(h) −x + 2y = 3; 3x − 6y = 9.
(i) x + y + 2z = 0; 2x + 4y − 3z = 0; 3x + 6y + −5z = 0.
(j) x + y + z + w = 0; 2x + 3y + z − 2w = 0; 3x + 5y + z = 0.
(k) x + 2y + 2z = 1; 3x + 7y + 9z = 2; − x − 4y − 7z = 0.
(l) 2x + y + 2z = 4; 2x + 2y = 5; 2x − y + 6z = 2.
(m) x + y + z = 1; 2x + 2y + 2z = −2; 3x + 3y + 3z = −3.
(n) 2x + 4y − 7z = 0; x − 3y + 9z = 0; 6x + 9z = 0.
(o) x + y + z = 0; 3x + 5y + 4z = 0; 3x + 6y + 5z = 0.
(p) 2x + 5y − 19z = 34; 3x + 8y − 31z = 54.
(q) −x + y + 2z = 1; 2x + 3y + z = −2; 5x + 4y + 2z = 4.
(r) x − y = 9; − 2x + 2y = −3.
(s) x + 2y + z + 3w = 0; x − y + w = 0; 5y − z + 2w = 0.
(t) 2x + 6z = 0; 3x − 2y + 11z = 0; 3x − y + 7z = 0.
(2) Consider the system of equations x + y + 2z = a; x + z = b; 2x + y + 3z = c. Show that for this system
to be consistent, the constants a, b, and c must satisfy c = a + b.
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(3) For which value(s) of the constant k does the system x − y = 3; 2x − 2y = k have no solutions? Exactly
one solution? Infinitely many solutions? Explain your reasoning.
(4) For what values of a does the following system of equations have a solution?
3x1 − x2 + ax3 = 1
3x1 − x2 + x3 = 5
(5) For what values of λ, the equations 3x − 2y + λz = 1, 2x + y + z = 2, x + 2y − λz = −1 will have no
unique solution? Will the equations have any solution for these values of λ?
(6) Discuss for all values of k for which the following system of linear equations have solution/s.
2x + 3ky + (3k + 4) z = 0
x + (k + 4) y + (4k + 2) z = 0
x + 2 (k + 1) y + (3k + 4) z = 0
(7) Indicate whether the statement is always true or sometimes false. Justify your answer by giving a logical
argument or a counterexample.
(a) If a matrix is reduced to reduced row-echelon form by two different sequences of
elementary row operations, the resulting matrices will be different.
(b) If a matrix is reduced to row-echelon form by two different sequences of elementary row operations, the
resulting matrices might be different.
(c) If the reduced row-echelon form of the augmented matrix for a linear system has a row of zeros, then
the system must have infinitely many solutions.
(d) If three lines in the plane are sides of a triangle, then the system of equations formed from their equations
has three solutions, one corresponding to each vertex.
(e) A linear system of three equations in five unknowns must be consistent.
(f) A linear system of five equations in three unknowns cannot be consistent.
(g) If a linear system of n equations in n unknowns has n leading 1’s in the reduced row-echelon form of its
augmented matrix, then the system has exactly one solution.
(h) If a linear system of n equations in n unknowns has two equations that are multiples of one another,
then the system is inconsistent.
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Applications
(1) An engineer involved in construction requires 4800, 5810 and 5690 m3 of sand, fine gravel and coarse
gravel respectively for a building project. There are three pits from which these materials can be ob-
tained. The composition of these pits is
Sand (%) Fine gravel (%) Coarse gravel (%)
Pit 1 52 30 18
Pit 2 20 50 30
Pit 3 25 20 55
How many cubic meters must be hauled from each pit in order to meet the engineer’s needs?
(2) An electrical engineer supervises the production of three types of electrical components. Three kinds of
material- metal, plastic and rubber are required for production. The amounts needed to produce each
component are
Component Metal (g/component) Plastic (g/component) Rubber (g/component)
1 15 0.25 1.0
2 17 0.33 1.2
3 19 0.42 1.6
If totals of 2.12, 0.0434 and 0.164 kg of metal, plastic and rubber respectively are available each day,
how many components can be produced per day?
(3) In the 2022 Fiesta Bowl Championship Series on June 8, 2022, the University of Florida Gators de-
feated the Ohio State University Buckeyes by a score of 41 to 14. The total points scored came from
a combination of touchdowns, extra-point kicks, and field goals, worth 6, 1, and 3 points, respectively.
The numbers of touchdowns and extra-point kicks were [Link] number of touchdowns was one more
than three times the number of field goals. Write a system of equations to represent this event. Then
determine the number of each type of scoring play.
(4) Balance the chemical equation using system of linear equaions
HCl + N a3 P O4 → H3 P O4 + N aCl
hydrochloric acid sodium phosphate phosphoric acid sodium chloride
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